The prime minister has said he is personally committed to reducing child poverty, but refused to announce plans to scrap rules which restrict benefits to the first two children in a family.
Sir Keir Starmer said child poverty was "an important issue" in the north east of England and promised to "do what we need to do" to tackle it, but would not say if he agrees with his education secretary's description of the two-child limit as "spiteful".
He insisted there was no "silver bullet" and he wanted to let the Child Poverty Task Force of ministers finish its work.